Adjustable ice-creeper.



J; H.. DDWNER. ADJUSTABLE ICE. CREEPER.

(Application filed Oct. 8, 1901.)

u 7|0,|s7. Patented Sept. 30,1902.

(N0 Mddel.)

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFTCE.

JOHN H. DOlVNER, OF ALLENPORT, PENNSYLVANIA.

ADJUSTABLE ICE-CREEPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 710,187, dated September 30, 1902.

Application filed October 8,1901. Serial No. 78,02Q. Lllc m i- To ctZZ whom if; may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN H. DOWNER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Allenport, in the county of Washington and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Ice-Creepers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in ice'creepers, and has for its main object to construct an ice-creeper which may be quickly attached to or removed from the boot or shoe and which is adjustable, so as to be applied to various sizes of boots and shoes.

Briefly described, the invention consists of two interlocking members, each of which has serrated or toothed flanges forming the gripping surface and each of which also has flanges at its free end to embrace the sole of the boot or shoe, together with a fastening device for holding the end flanges of the members in locking engagement with said sole. The particular construction of these features, together with such others as enter into my invention, will be hereinafter more specifically described and then particularly pointed out in the claim, and in describing the invention in detail reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and wherein like numerals will be employed for designating like parts throughout the several views, in which Figure 1 is a detail perspective view of my improved ice-creeper detached from the boot or shoe. Fig. 2 is an underneath plan view of a boot or shoe sole, showing my improved creeper secured in position thereon. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail plan views of the two members which comprise the device.

My improved creeper comprises in its construction two interlocking members 1 and 2. These may be composed of any suitable material, preferably of cast-iron, steel, or other metal. These two members have turneddown side edges 3, which are serrated or toothed and form the gripping-surfaces of the creeper. The member 2 has its free end turned upwardly at right angles to the body portion of the member, and the inner face of this upturned end 4 is corrugated, (see Fig. 1,) so as to firmly engage with the sole of the boot or shoe. The member 2 at its interlocking end is provided with an oblong opening 5 and tongue 6, the latter adapted to engage in one of a series of openings 7, provided therefor near the interlocking end of the member 1. This member 1 also carries a tongue 8, having a T-shaped head 9, adapted to rest upon the upper face of the member 2 when the two members are interlocked. The member 2 lies on top of the member 1, where the two members are locked together and in order that the T-shaped head will lie in firm engagement with the upper face of the member2 the tongue 9 is bent upwardly, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The member 1 carries at its free end an upturned flange 10, the inner face of which is corrugated in like manner to the flange &, so as to firmly engage the sole 11 of the boot or shoe. This flange 10 at its upper end is turned at right angles to form a bearing for a pin 12, the other end of which is journaled in a lug 14, carried by the member 1. This pin carries a cam 15, which projects through an opening 16 in the flange 10 to engage with the sole of the boot or shoe.- The device is thus bound on the sole by the flange 4 and cam 15, and, if desired, the inner face of the flange 10 maybe left smooth. Vhen the device is detached from the shoe, it will be observed that it may be readily adjusted 10 any width sole by disengaging tongue 6 from the slot 7 in which it lies, sliding the head 9 along the slot or opening 5, and reengaging tongue 6 in another of the openings 7.

WVhen the members are'adjusted for an extremely wide sole, there will be a space between the corrilgated flanges, as shown in Fig. 1; but where the members are adjusted for a narrow sole an unbroken serrated flange will be presented along each side. If desired, the flanges 3 on the member 2 may be of greater length than showngbut with such a construction it will be observed that it will be necessary to make the member 2 of greater width than the member 1, so the flangesof the latter will slide between the flanges of the former.

It will be observed that in the practice of the invention suchchanges as these and others can be made without departing from the general spirit of the invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

An ice-creeper comprising two interlocking members having upturned end portions, and downturned serrated side portions forming gripping edges, one of said members having an elongated longitudinally-arranged slot adjacent its inner end, a tongue formed integral with the inner end of said member and terminally curved downwardly, said second member having a transverse slot in its upturned end, the upper portion of said end bent outwardly at right angles thereto, an eX- tension on the lower edge of said upturned end and projecting outwardly therefrom in a plane parallel to the extension on the upper end thereof, acam member pivotally secured between the lug and the outwardly-bent portion of the second-named member and adapted to project through the said transverse slot,

JOHN H. DOWNER.

\Vitnesses:

JOHN NOLAND, E. E. POTTER. 

